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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 3 (Eburosi Chronicles #3) by R.A. Steffan
When their rock shatters, Carivel and Senovo have to work together to put Andoc back together again. Their relationship arc goes through another set of trials, just enough to make a reader worried while also keeping faith that everything will work out for the best. The world of Eburosi grows again when the characters travel…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 2 (Eburosi Chronicles #2) by R.A. Steffan
The epic fantasy world of Eburosi deepens, along with the relationship between Carivel, Senovo, and Andoc, in this second installment of The Horse Mistress. Many of the quibbles I had about the first book are addressed here, such as external conflicts that stand in the way of their relationship and more extensive world-building.
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Review: A Duke by Default (Reluctant Royals #2) by Alyssa Cole
Saying that I didn’t like this book as much as the previous in the series does a disservice to this book, because I still enjoyed it thoroughly. This is completely subjective reasoning on my part, because I did not connect with this heroine as much. She’s a rich trust fund kid, even though she struggles…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 1 (Eburosi Chronicles #1) by R.A. Steffan
The downside to growing as a reader is realizing how much epic fantasy is problematic in terms of representation. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this series, which features queer characters, including a gender-fluid character. Carivel is a delight to read, and her relationship(s) with Andoc and Senovo are just the right mix of emotional and…
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Review: A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
I picked up the first book in this series because a later installment features a woman in a wheelchair on the cover, and I am all about supporting representation in books. The fact that this book has two characters of color on the cover, which is a rarity for a romance novel by a major…
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Review: Maelstrom (Whyborne & Griffin #7) by Jordan L. Hawk
Family has been a running theme in this series, and things come to a head in this installment of the Whyborne & Griffin books. Whyborne’s father has had a major shift in attitude, which causes Whyborne to be suspicious of the man’s motives. In the grander scheme of things, Whyborne’s own position in the town…
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Review: Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S.A. Corey
We’ve reached the point in this series where it’s okay for the authors to throw a bunch of points of view at the reader. By now, the world-building is solid and the political landscape is pretty clear. The downside to this is that the only POVs I really want are Holden, Naomi, and the others…
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Review: Elle by Night (Dommes by Night #2) by Rachell Nichole
Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The premise of this book immediately hooked me. Two dominants sparring with each other, even by telephone? Yes, please. However, Jo and Spencer immediately proved themselves to be amazing and three-dimensional characters. That 3D part is key in a…
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Review: Hoarfrost (Whyborne & Griffin #6) by Jordan L. Hawk
Something different about this book is immediate from the first page — scenes from Griffin’s point of view! This made me nervous at first, but Hawk obviously has a great handle on his character. Switching between two first-person POVs is never difficult, because Griffin’s voice is so distinctive from Whyborne’s. The need for scenes to…
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Book Excerpt & Giveaway: Into the Ashes (Taine McKenna Adventures #3) by Lee Murray
Last month I posted a spoiler-free review of the latest installment of Lee Murray’s thriller series, the Taine McKenna Adventures. In Into the Ashes, Taine faces his biggest foe yet: the active volcanic isles of New Zealand itself. Check out an excerpt from the book below, then follow the link to enter a giveaway for an…
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2019 Resolution Project: Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews
My 2019 Resolution Project over at my other blog, Speculative Chic, is to read the entire Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews, finishing up with a first read of the final book in the series. I’ve read the first book, Magic Bites, before, but never officially reviewed it. You can find my full review…
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Review: Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) by James S.A. Corey
It’s a little crazy that this is the first book that gives us point-of-view scenes from all four members of the Rocinante crew: Holden, Naomi, Alex, and Amos. On the downside, this is because for much of the book none of them are together! While I hated to see the “family” broken up, it was awesome…
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Review: Bloodline (Whyborne & Griffin #5) by Jordan L. Hawk
The Lovecraftian influence in this series goes deeper once again, featuring mythical monsters hinted at in previous installments. The larger world of sorcery also opens up, and along with Whyborne, we find out there is more to learn than just spells in an old book.
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Review: Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) by James S.A. Corey
After the whirlwind of the previous book in this series, this book should have felt like a time to breath. Unfortunately, I think the authors took things a bit too far in the other direction. They teased us with a Bobbie-centered prologue, and then things started to drag. On top of it all, I wasn’t…
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Review: Into the Ashes (Taine McKenna Adventures #3) by Lee Murray
Disclaimer: I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review. The third installment of the Taine McKenna adventures follows the format of the two previous books without becoming formulaic or predictable. It’s an action-packed adventure featuring human and supernatural dangers, full of both familiar faces and new characters I hope to see again in…
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Review: Necropolis (Whyborne & Griffin #4) by Jordan L. Hawk
This installment of the series takes poor Whyborne far out of his comfort zone as his friend Dr. Putnam summons him to Egypt for his professional expertise. The fact that I read this book while on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean probably enhanced my sympathy for him, which was a fun…
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Review: Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse #3) by James S.A. Corey
This series was perfect vacation reading, and I’m now caught up the first three seasons of the television show, which is all that has been released at the time of this writing. For a series that was supposed to be about “the little guys” who happen to get involved in solar system-spanning action, it seems…
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Review: Caliban’s War (The Expanse #2) by James S.A. Corey
Since I read this book after watching the first three seasons of the television show, The Expanse, my opinions of the book are colored by my experience with the adaptation. For example, my favorite thing about this book was finally meeting two of my favorite characters in print. Avasarala and Bobbie are amazing and I…
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Review: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey
I purchased this ebook when the first season of the television adaptation aired, but didn’t get around to reading it until a recent vacation. I’ve seen three seasons of the show so far, so that will obviously color my interpretation of the book (such as visualizing actors as their characters and such). My husband and I…
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Review: An Acceptable Time (Time Quintet #5) by Madeleine L’Engle
For the final installment of my 2018 Resolution Project over at Speculative Chic, I reviewed An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Unfortunately, this series did not end with a bang for me. You can read the full review here, and check out an excerpt below: This series, which gave us everything from aliens to angels to…
